Skip to main content

Maeda and Maina Win 25th Running of the Sendai International Half Marathon

http://www.kahoku.co.jp/tohokunews/201505/20150511_14015.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Breaking the event's old record by 349 people, a record-setting 13,932 participants took part in the 25th running of the Sendai International Half Marathon on May 10 in central Sendai, Miyagi.

In the day's main event, the JAAF-certified half marathon division starting and ending at the municipal track and field grounds on the city's south side, defending champion Johana Maina (Kenya/Team Fujitsu) ran 1:02:33 to win the men's race again, his second-straight and third overall Sendai title.  His teammate and 2014 World Half Marathon Championships Japanese national team member Sota Hoshi (Team Fujitsu) was 3rd in 1:03:11, while 2015 World Championships marathoner Masakazu Fujiwara took 6th in 1:03:51.  2014 Asian Games marathon bronze medalist Yuki Kawauchi was 30th.

In the women's race, 2015 World Championships marathoner Sairi Maeda (Team Daihatsu) opened a 46-second lead over 2014 World Half Marathon Championships team member Risa Takenaka to win in 1:10:24.  Maeda's Beijing teammate Risa Shigetomo (Team Tenmaya) was a distant 3rd in 1:13:26.  Three-time men's wheelchair champion Masayuki Higuchi (Baristride) picked up a fourth title in 47:46.

25th Sendai International Half Marathon
Sendai, Miyagi, 5/10/15
click here for complete results

Men
1. Johana Maina (Kenya/Fujitsu) - 1:02:33
2. Ezekiel Chebotitin (Kenya/Toho Refine) - 1:02:34
3. Sota Hoshi (Fujitsu) - 1:03:11
4. Yuichiro Ueno (DeNA) - 1:03:21
5. Hiroaki Sano (Honda) - 1:03:41
6. Masakazu Fujiwara (Honda) - 1:03:51
-----
30. Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) - 1:08:36

Women
1. Sairi Maeda (Daihatsu) - 1:10:24
2. Risa Takenaka (Shiseido) - 1:11:10
3. Risa Shigetomo (Tenmaya) - 1:13:26
4. Yui Okada (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 1:13:55
5. Fumiko Hashimoto (Shimamura) - 1:15:26

Comments

TokyoRacer said…
It was 20C and sunny, so even higher? - a bit warm for a half - and windy, but all in all a good day to run. Really nice race through the streets of Sendai, a very green city.

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...

Mashiko Breaks U20 5000 m NR - Weekend Track Roundup

Saturday's Kanakuri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto was the weekend's main event in Japanese track, but there were good results at the Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama too. Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) led the men's 5000 m A-heat at Kanakuri in 13:14.06, with Tomonori Yamaguchi (SGH) clocking the fastest Japanese time in 13:16.38 in his first race as a corporate leaguer. Waseda University duo Rui Suzuki and Yota Mashiko went 6-7 in 13:20.64 and 13:22.87, the 18-year-old Mashiko shaving 0.04 off the U20 NR. In 8th, Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) ran a PB of 13:23.92. 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) continued to struggle after a weak indoor season, finishing 18th of 20 finishers in 13:45.10. 19-year-old Festus Kimorwo (Kurosaki Harima) was under 13:20 in the B-heat too, winning in a 13:19.59 PB. 2 more collegiate men broke 13:30, Daichi Fujita (Chuo Univ.) 8th in 13:28.93 and Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 9th in 13:29.09. The top 6 in the men's 800 m A-hea...